LAGUNA HILLS : 2 Accused of Leaving Baby Unattended

Sheriff’s deputies arrested a couple early Sunday after they allegedly left their 13-month-old son unattended for about three hours in an unlocked car with the windows down while at a party.

Pando Vassilev, 39, of Glendale, and Aneta Negriev, 38, of Hollywood, were both taken to Orange County Jail in Santa Ana on suspicion of willful cruelty to a child, a felony, Sheriff’s Lt. Dick Olson said. The two were released on their own recognizance later that morning and will be notified when to appear in court, Olson said.

The baby, who was not injured, was taken into protective custody and placed in Orangewood Children’s Home in Orange.

Deputies were called to an apartment complex on the 23000 block of Pacific Park Drive just before 1 a.m. by a neighbor who reported a child being left unattended in a car, Olson said.

When deputies arrived, they waited about 30 minutes at the car with the child until the parents arrived from a party nearby, Olson said. Upon being questioned about the incident, the parents allegedly admitted to leaving the baby unattended for about three hours, Olson said.